You…in the News!
In my first Pursuit Magazine column, Be Positive and Do Something!, I tried to give you a big picture about the importance of taking action to market your services. This time I will be very specific about one of the best things you can do to market your private investigator services. It’s something every PI wants, and it is something almost every PI can obtain.
And it won’t cost you a penny.
It’s getting your name in the local news.
And it’s easier than you think.
You can get your name in the news when you actually have news to share: a merger, an expansion, a new location. That kind of stuff is legitimate news, and a basic press release should get you on the business page.
But what about when you have no real news about your agency, which is probably most of the time?
That’s when it’s even easier!
Why?
Let’s pause for just a second to discuss why you want your name in the news. Yes, it’s visibility for your company, but it’s more than that: It’s a stamp of approval, or what I call the “halo effect.” You can say you are great, the best expert in your field. You can write a letter or an advertisement telling someone how fantastic you are, and it all might be true. But it is perceived as promotional, as you marketing yourself.
However, if you get yourself interviewed by the news media, it carries with it the halo effect, the power the media has of declaring you to be an expert. It amounts to a third-party endorsement. After all, why would the media talk to you about a topic unless you knew what you were talking about? Even though the news media does not carry the same level of high regard, trust and respect it had with the public a couple decades ago, people still turn to TV, newspapers and online sources for information. For news. And people still listen and believe. So you being interviewed, quoted, featured, photographed and visible in the news media is still good.
Furthermore, media begats media. What gets in your local newspaper also gets on the local television news, radio talk shows, blogs, etc. Do one interview well, and you will have proven yourself to be an expert, which will attract other media interviews. Plus, it can also serve you long term, because the media will turn to you first the next time they have a story idea that may involve investigative services.
How?
How do you get your name on the nightly news when you have no news? The easiest and the most consistent way to get on the news has little to do with what is new in your office and everything to do with what is going on in the world. What you want to do is find a local angle to a national story.
When a big or timely story hits, it is big news not only on the national news, but it becomes the top story on all versions of the local news…and there are typically multiple news shows on the same channel: 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m., 11 p.m..
When a big story breaks, the news is about who, what, where, when, etc. At first, local angles to national stories are typically the reactions of average people. But what happens when time goes on? The media is still looking for a different local aspect to a story, and if you can find a way to present what you know as an investigative professional, then you can be an expert quoted. And you will also be amazed at what can be a big story.
What?
Let’s take a couple examples.
One enterprising PI was featured in the Associated Press — I repeat, was featured nationally — by explaining that there are three professionals always busy on Valentine’s Day: the florist, the chocolate maker, and the private investigator. The first two professions are obvious, but the point is that someone suspected of cheating on a spouse will definitely seek out their lover on Valentine’s Day. So the public learns that’s the day to hire a PI to have that person followed.
What really struck me about that story was that it did not have to be a short syndicated story tucked inside a newspaper on page three; It could have been a local story about a local PI in virtually every newspaper in every city in every state, if someone had taken the time to call the city editor of a newspaper or the assignment editor on a TV station and present the idea.
For our second idea, fast forward to May. It’s prom time. Although most high schools would love to have the media come out to film their prom, TV stations can’t feature one school and not others. But prom time makes many people remember and long for their old high school days. A local TV station might be looking for a prom-related story, and would be interested in a feature entitled “Where is your old prom date now?“ You, as a professional private investigator who knows how to locate people, can show viewers interested in revisiting their past can how they can find their old high school sweetheart, even if they are not on Facebook.
Here’s one more idea I have lectured about at PI conferences, and many PIs look at me like I’m crazy. But I’ve seen it work. Every two years or so, a new James Bond movie comes out. It’s always a box office smash, and it always features high-tech gadgets. Contact the assignment editor of a TV station or the city editor of a newspaper and explain that you are not a spy, but rather are a licensed private investigator. But, just like James Bond, you use some intriguing technologically advanced gadgets that many people would find interesting. You would be glad to show the reporter how they work. It helps if you have a sense of humor about this story, but this works….and I’ve even seen this exact story featured on CNN. You can get that story, featuring you, on your local media.
Where?
Where do you go from here?
If getting your name in the news piques your interest (and it should) and you would like three timely story ideas that you can pitch to your local media between now and Labor Day, just send me an email with the subject line of Three Ideas, and I’ll email them to you. My email is mackowiakcom@aol.com.
About the author:
Bob Mackowiak has been helping private investigators market their services since 1988. He has spoken about marketing at private investigation conferences from Florida to Alaska, is the author of the classic manual, “How to Market Your Private Investigation Agency,” and helped hundreds of PIs with his COPI Brochure Development System. You can learn more about Bob and his services at www.LetBobHelp.Homestead.com.